Several issues and angles seem to have ignited the interest of the darting devotees, gossips and even the pearl clutchers since the new season got underway.
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Whistle While You….
The most high profile topic has probably been the whistling of German crowds during recent European Tour and other PDC visits. The actions of referees have also come under the microscope.
Whilst it’s certainly fair to try to keep the deliberate distractions and extreme partisanship within bounds, we must not lose sight of the fact that we have deliberately marketed modern darts as part sport, part entertainment and part live party. Germany seems to have heartily embraced all three elements.
It ought to be recalled that not so many years ago visitors to UK events, especially Ally Pally, did not have an easy time of it. Often the trick was to try to embrace the crowd and hope that some or all of them might be persuaded to get behind you. Vincent Van de Voort dropping lucky with a table adapting a Spurs football song totally transformed his appearances.
A 2011 match, where home player Matt Padgett should have easily overwhelmed another newcomer, was heavily influenced the opposite way when the crowd found a rhythm for singing Hashimoto’s name!
In our games early TV days you can see an incredibly raucous crowd at Jolees, for the World Championships, with the BDO referee having to admonish the crowd over and over again. In the end the players ask him not to bother as he is breaking their rhythm more than the noise bothers them!
WDF Darts Sees Golden Grumbling
Fancy a ‘Golden Ticket’ being the source of argument! But former WDF Champion Neil Duff is not alone in wondering if those dedicated to that particular tour are being rewarded well enough for all the airmiles and pounds they put in?
The reversal however might be in that if the Golden Ticket events were removed or reduced in number the Lakeside field might be even more top heavy with those from certain nations than it was in 2025. Duffman might want to consider that it has taken the WDF five long years to get some stability, security and consistency after the Covid-19 interregnum. It might be wiser to allow the new evolution a little more room.
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Originally published in DartsWorld Extra 24
